Phoenix climbed the two flights of stairs to her apartment taking the two at time without loosing her breath or feeling strain in her muscles. This was a major perk of the angel blood running through her veins and she loved it. She never got out of breath or tired during a show. As the main vocalist in her band she could hold the longest note out of anyone else and she never broke a sweat during their shows. She also learned early in life that she was faster and better coordinated than others. As a child of the foster system she easily stood her ground among the other kids around her. As she slowly crept through the door of the shabby apartment she heard her foster dad, or as she referred to him, foster keeper snoring on the couch. The TV was tuned to ESPN and the end of the highlights for some football game was playing now. He didn't even stir as she walked past him and down the hall way towards the bedrooms. There were three other foster kids living in the apartment along with the keepers, Mary and Tobias. Mary was as sweet as you could be under the circumstances. She fed and clothed us and made sure we had the necessities, but she didn't really care about the kids. Sometimes Phoenix was convinced that Tobias thought the kids were just live in maids at his beck and call. He often ordered them to cook and clean and he was never against a hard smack to get a message across. Phoenix knew it was a kind of male dominance thing, like a dog that marks its territory. Even after Phoenix knew what she was and what she was capable of, she remained silent and did what she was told, mainly to make sure the little ones were safe from Tobias' wrath.

Lucy, Jack, and Toby were the other foster kids living in the three bedroom two bath apartment. Phoenix shared a room with little Lucy, a six year old with fair curly hair and freckles. Over the past two years with her Phoenix had become very attached to Lucy. She was like the little sister she never had, and she needed to protect her. Jack and Toby had a similar relationship. They shared the room across the hall and Phoenix often heard Jack disciplining as well as comforting Toby. Unlike Phoenix though, Jack was only twelve and had a few more years left in the system. Phoenix, who was about to turn eighteen, decided long ago that once she was eighteen she was out. She often worried what would happen once she left the other three kids to fend for themselves, but every time she began to feel guilty she would remember that Jack would thirteen soon, the same age she was when she started acting like the adult they needed.

Shortly after Phoenix turning thirteen her therapist/social worker gave her the letter that changed her life. Dr. Lynda was the closest this Phoenix had to a parent figure in her life. Because she was a child in foster care she had been assigned to a therapist/ social worker to help cope with the lifestyle. Most kids were given the choice to continue seeing their therapist/ social worker, but once Phoenix found out Dr. Lynda was a Warlock she continued seeing her once a month to date. Phoenix remembered that day, shortly after her thirteenth birthday, when Dr. Lynda picked her up from school just as she always did on the 30th of each month.

"Hey, sweetie!" Dr. Lynda exclaimed as Phoenix got in the car, "Happy birthday! I tried to call but I couldn't get through, did you have a nice day?". Dr. Lynda had a raspy sort of voice that Phoenix found comforting. It was almost like a smoker's voice but not so deep.

"It was alright," Phoenix said lightly. Her birthday was like any other. Mary made her pancakes and bought her a new outfit to add to the small closet she already had. At that moment Phoenix was debating telling Dr. Lynda about her decision to stop seeing her and decided to wait until after the visit. That way she could just say it on her way out and run without and explanation. Phoenix simply thought she was getting too old for this and wanted to take care of herself.

"Well then," Dr. Lynda said, "I was thinking we could go to my office for a bit, I have your birthday present there, then when could get lunch?"

"Fine by me," Phoenix said curtly.

They rode the rest of the way in pretty much the same manner. Dr. Lynda asking questions and Phoenix giving short, one worded answers. Finally about fifteen minutes later they pulled into the parking garage of The Behavioral Center of RI. The actual building was kind of beautiful, in an antique sort of way. You could tell it was built a long time ago with columns and arches all along the front of the brick building. The only thing making it modern was the giant parking garage attached to it. Once they made their way down the twisting and turning corridors and finally into Dr. Lynda's office, Phoenix took her usual seat across from the desk.

"Well," Dr. Lynda said once they were settled, "I have something that belong to you." She pulled out a small wooden box from underneath her desk and placed it on top of it.

"What is it?" Phoenix said with a lack of enthusiasm.

"Well, it was something your mother left with me, your birth mother." At the sound of "birth mother" Phoenix's ears perked a little.

"Yea? What does she want to say? Except of course 'peace out'."

"Why don't you find out?" Dr. Lynda said pushing the box toward Phoenix.

Inside the box were a two small items: a necklace with a gold angel hanging from it, and ring with what looked like small towers of a castle engraved along it. Underneath these two items was a letter. Phoenix tore at it to open it and began to read the perfect calligraphy:

My Dearest Daughter Phoenix,

I understand that you may have mixed feelings about me; hatred, hurt, anger, sadness, confusion, and maybe if I am lucky hope; but there is one thing that I want you to know: I have loved you since the day you were born and not a day goes by that I do not miss you. There are many things throughout this world that have separated us and force us to live apart from each other. The main thing I want you to understand from this letter is that you are special, and you are not alone.

Today I am writing this letter to you in hopes that Dr. Lynda will give it to you once she believes you are ready. If that is case I know I am proud of the woman you have become. As you mature I am sure you have noticed that you are not like everyone else. You are faster, smarted, and stronger than most of the children around you. That is because you have the blood of the angel within you my daughter.

There are a few things you must know to understand what this means, for one: All the stories you were told are true. There is evil in this world Phoenix, and the Angels have bestowed upon us a gift to conquer this evil: the Nephilim or Shadowhunter, a race of demon hunters, the product of human and angel blood. Something else that you must know is that I am not a Shadowhunter, but your father was. In this box you will find a ring, this ring belonged to father. He was a great Shadowhunter and I loved him dearly. But once again there are things beyond us that do not allow us to be together.

The year you were born, 1996, was the beginning of what has become known as the mortal war. During this dark time Downworlders, what you know as werewolves, vampires, and warlocks, were being mercilessly persecuted by a group of Shadowhunters know as The Circle. They believed that Downworlders were beneath them, and should be in a way put down. The problem was that I am a Downworlder. I am a Warlock. There has been great loss throughout this war and as of now it is not nearly over. But you must understand the Nephilim are a good people. They have saved me more than I can remember. Maybe by the time you read this the war will be over and Downworlders will like in peace again. Or maybe the war is over and Downworlders will never be safe again. Either way it was not a life I wanted for you. Your father was killed by these people for having a relationship with a Downworlder, even his own brother turned on him. Sometimes reason cannot be met.

After you were born you were given the birth-rights all shadow hunters are given to protect themselves as infants. I gave you to Dr. Lynda in hopes she could hide you from the Clave and the Circle. She most likely erased any memories you had of the shadow world to let you live a normal life. I promise I have kept an eye on you and have been in constant contact with Dr. Lynda about your well-being. Now I must leave again with Dr. Lynda to decide your future. Remember I love and miss you.

Your Loving Mother;

Tessa Gray

P.S. if you so choose to live the life of Shadowhunter, go to the Institute and show them your father's ring, they are bound by law to help you

Phoenix could feel the warmth of the tear that had escaped her eyes as she read and reread the letter. It had left her with more questions than before. What was I? Who was I? What the h*** was a Shadowhunter? What did any of this have to do with Dr. Lynda? Where was her mother now? Was she still alive? Is the war over? Dr. Lynda took each question that Phoenix had and answered as patiently as she could. Phoenix left that day with her mother's necklace, her father's ring, and a copy of the Shadowhunters Codex (which apparently would explain everything).

For the next four years Dr. Lynda had been teaching Phoenix a crash course in the Shadow World. They often talked about history and what her parents were like, but sometimes Dr. Lynda would teach her how to fight. Dr. Lynda told Phoenix that soon people from the Clave would begin to look for her. The war was long over and ended in favor of Downworlders. If Phoenix so wanted she was free to fight as a Nephilim and live amongst the Shadow World. There was a growing shortage of Shadowhunters and they were becoming desperate. Dr. Lynda feared that someone had revealed the secret of Phoenix's birth and that someone from the clave will want to find her. Phoenix wanted to fight, but she wanted to fight the Nephilim, the people who kept her from her mother.